Wrench



Feb. 12 1924. 1,483,527

M. STARC WRENCH Filed Aug. 10. 1921 W1 I I 1 g I I I I I I x I I I I I 11 I M/ Fig 6 I I I I I2 I I I it;

I I I I 1 I f 1 I gwuewm'a U Mizrk Stare, I

M, I A, 61mm Patented Feb. 12, 1924.

MARK STARC, OF CHICAGO ILLINOIS.

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Application filed August 10, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, MARK STARS, a c tizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,

in the county of Cook and State of Illinois,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVrenches; and I do hereby declare the following to be a "full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a pertains, to make and use the same.

h i invention relates to improvements in wrenches and relates more particularly to improvements in wrenches of the clutched head type in which a plurality of wrench openings or sets of jaws are embodied in a head which is rotatable and slidable on a handle or operating member to engage means provided on said handle or operating member with, or to disengage such means from, said head; whereby the head may be rotated to bring the desired wrench opening or set of jaws into position for convenient use and then held in that position.

Prior attempts to provide wrenches of this type have not resulted satisfactorily because in use the wrench head was apt to slide out of operative engagement with the handle, thus requiring readjustment of the parts with attendant annoyance and loss of time.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wrench construction in which the head, after being adjusted on the handle to bring the desired opening or set of jaws into position for convenient use, may be slid into engagement with said handle and interlockingly held in this position.

The above and other objects and novel features of this invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawin s.

l drenerally described, my improved wrench is characterized by a shank and a head provided with wrench openings rotatably and slidably connected to said shank, the shank being provided with means to engage and hold the head against rotation, and the shank and head being adapted and arranged furthermore to interlock in such manner 7 that accidental sliding movement of the shank with respect to the head is prevented.

More particularly descrlbed, my improved construction comprises a shank pro- Serial No. 491,193.

vided with a slot and a detent orabutment tooth adjacent the slot and a head provided with a plurality of notches or wrench openings, said head being'rotatable and slidable on the shank to engage the tooth with or disengage it from any of the notches, the shank and head being adapted and arranged to interlock in such manner that accidental disengagement of the tooth on the shank from one of the notches is prevented.

The accompanying drawings illustrates a wrench embodying the principles of my invention, but it is to be understood that the specific embodiment'here chosen for purposes of illustration is merely typical of a construction contemplated by the invention and included within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a wrench embodying my invention, the parts being shown in interlocked position;

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows 2-2 and Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows 3-3.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates generally a wrench head rotatably and slidably connected to an actuating shank or handle 11 by suitable connecting means 12, to be more fully described hereinafter. In the present instance, the head 10 comprises a substantially circular body of suitable metal, such as a good grade of sheet steel capable of taking a temper, provided on its periphery with a plurality of wrench openings or notches 13 of varying sizes. Preferably, these wrench openings are so spaced along the periphery of the head as to give an equal amount of stock between each wrench opening. It is apparent, however, that the head may be constructed of any suitable material and that the periphery may be of triangular, rectangular or other tance. While any suitable material may be used in the construction of the handle, as Well as for the head, sheet metal such as sheet steel is preferred for both from the standpoint of economy in manufacture, since each of these parts may be stampedout or die-struck as an entirety in one operation, and then tempered.

lVhen the shank and head are connected, the connecting means 12 extends through the slot 14 in the handle 11 and into an openingin approximately the center of the head 10, thus connecting the head to the handle adjacent the tongue 15 so that the head can be rotated to bring any desired wrench opening into convenient position for use and then the head slid upon the shank to cause the shoulder of the tongue 15 to extend into one of the notches 13 in the periphery of the head and act as a stop to hold the head against rotation. t will be observed that the head extends between the handle and the extension 15 of the tongue 15. Thus the head is guided and prevented from springing away from the operating handle.

I have provided interlocking means, of which one desirable embodiment is here il lustrated by way of example, whereby, when the head is adjusted so that the tongue or tooth 15, extends into one of the notches, the parts will be positively held in that position against accidental disengagement by longitudinal outward movement of the handle relative to the head. Adjacent one end of the slot 14, the handle is provided with a boss 16 which projects into a cooperating depression 17- in the head when the head is adjusted on the handle so that the shoulder portion of the tooth 15 projects into one of r the notches in the head. In a typicalexample,

the connecting means, heretofore referred to generally by 12, comprises a screw having a threaded shank l8 and a head 19, preferably milled or roughened so that the screw may be easily turned by hand. hen the handle and head are connected, the threaded shank 16 of the screw extends through the slot 14 in the handle and threads into the opening in approximately the center of the head 10.

The screw is provided between its shank and head with a spacing shoulder 20 and a tapered portion 21. WVhen the screw is tightened, the tapered portion 21 of the screw enters a recess or depression 22 in the sideof the handle opposite the boss 16 and in alinement therewith and clamps the head and handle together so that the boss 16 cannot pull out of the depression 17 in the head. When the screw is loosened, the head may be slid along the handle away from the tongue, whereby the tongue will clear the periphery of the head, allowing the head to be freely rotated to bring any other wrench opening into convenient position for use. As seen in Fig. 2, the space between extension 15 of tongue 15 and handle or shank 11 is wider than the thickness of the metal forming the head 10, thus allowing a little play between these parts. This play, together with the resilience of the metal of which the head and handle are formed, prevents binding of the head between the tongue and handle when'the head is slid along the handle in shifting the head to a new position. hen the metal forming the head and handle is not resilient, extension 15 of tongue 15 must be spaced a sufficient distance from the handle to prevent binding of these parts in shifting. While I have shown the boss 16 on the handle and the cooperating depression 17 in the head, it is apparent that the boss may be on the head and the cooperating depression in the handle. lVitlnn the scope of the broad invention, 1 have shown the boss and cooperating depression stamped out of the sheet-metal of which the head and handle are constructed, since this construction reduces the cost of manufacture, but any other suitable construction may be used.

In operation, to swing the head to a new position from that shown in Fig. 1, the screw is loosened to allow the boss 16 on the handle to disengage the cooperating depression 17 in the head. The head is then slid along the handle until the tooth shoulder 15 clears the circumference of the head, allowing the head to be rotated. When the desired wrench opening is in convenient positionfor use, the head is slid on the handle until the tooth shoulder engages in one of the notches and the boss on the handle projects into the cooperating depression in the head. The screw is then tightened to hold the parts in;interlockingengagement, the tapered part of the screw entering the depression 22 in the handle. It is obvious that even if thescrew is not turned down tight, the parts will still be locked together, against radial outward movement of the handle, and hence the tooth or tongue cannot become accidentally disengaged by a pull on the handle.

WVhat I claim is:

1. A wrench of the character described comprising, in combination, a wrench head, an operating handle therefor, said head being capable of rotary and longitudinalmovement upon said handle unless prevented, and being also adapted and arranged to interlock with said handle for preventing both such rotary and longitudinal movement, and means operatively connecting said handle and head but adjustable either to maintain them in the stated interlocked relatiom-or to release them therefrom while still connecting them.

2. A wrench of the character described,

wrench head connected to said handle and capable of rotary and radial movement thereon, said head and handle being adapted and arranged to interlock at two different points against rotary and radial movement respectively.

3. A Wrench comprising a handle or shank, a head rotatably and slidably connected to said shank, said shank being provided With means adapted to engage and hold said head against rotation, and said shank and head being provided with interlocking means whereby sliding movement of said shank with respect to the head may be prevented.

L. A wrench comprising a head, a shank, and means for rotatably and slidably connecting said head and said shank, said shank being provided with means to engage and hold said head against rotation, such connecting means being adjustable to interlockingly engage and hold said shank against sliding movement With respect to the head.

5. A wrench comprising a shank provided with a slot and a tooth adjacent the slot, a head provided With a plurality of notches, said head being rotatable and slidable on the shank to engage the tooth with or disengage it from any of the notches, and means carried by said head adjustable to interlockingly engage said shank to prevent accidental disengagement of the tooth on said shank from one of said notches.

6. A Wrench comprising a shank member provided with a slot and a tooth adjacent the slot, a head member provided with a plurality of notches, said head member being r0- tatable and slidable on the shank member to engage the tooth with or disengage it from any of the notches, said shank and head members provided with interlocking means comprising a boss on one of said members and a complementary recess in the other member, and means connecting said head and shank members extending through the slot in the shank member adjustable to clamp said boss in said recess and prevent disengagement of the tooth on said shank member from one of said notches.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

MARK STARC. 

